Faculty
Gene R. Keselman is a Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management, the Executive Director of MIT Mission Innovation Experimental (MIx) and Managing Director of MIT’s venture studio, Proto Ventures. He is formerly the Executive Director of the MIT Innovation Initiative.
Gene has held leadership positions in a range of start-ups: he is the co-founder of ServDAO and formerly co-founder of Esports One and the Foundation for Innovation and Discovery (FINND), where he is now a board director. He sits on the Reagan Institute’s National Security Industrial Base Advisory Board, supports numerous startups as a board advisor and has also been a space and defense industry consultant.
As a military officer in the Air Force Reserves, Colonel Keselman works as the senior Reservist and Director, Strategic Incubation & SSG Reserve Program for the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s Strategic Studies Group (SSG). He has formerly been the IMA to the Director of the DAF-MIT A.I. Accelerator and Chief, Technology Development in USD R&E amongst many other positions. His career has spanned military fields including nuclear operations, space operations and acquisition and he has founded and run numerous operational and R&D programs in the Intelligence Community. He is published in Space journals, is Government CIO certified and fluent in Russian.
"Studies estimate that university-initiated innovation has driven about half of U.S. economic growth since World War II."
Taught by Fiona Murray and Gene Keselman, world-renown experts on this topic, Dual Use Strategy for Startups and Government is designed to bridge the gap between these two worlds. Startups will learn how to unlock government funding, master procurement processes, and build capabilities that resonate with mission-driven markets. Government participants will gain an appreciation for startup culture, venture capital mechanics, and the commercial innovation landscape. By fostering a mutual understanding, this course accelerates collaboration and innovation across sectors. A dual-use strategy is about making tradeoffs: which solution to build and for whom, how to test it, how to fund it, and how to deploy it. MIT’s Dual-Use Readiness Levels™ framework provides a structured approach for startups to evaluate their readiness across commercial, mission, and technological dimensions. This model fosters better communication between commercial and mission-driven sectors, helping participants assess opportunities, align strategies, and bridge critical gaps. Through engaging lectures, real-world case studies, and hands-on exercises, participants will explore the nuances of dual-use strategies, including how to “speak mission” and translate milestones from one ecosystem to another. The course highlights the key differences in customer needs, funding structures, and technological expectations between commercial and defense markets. By mastering these distinctions, participants will leave with actionable strategies to thrive in both worlds.
